


A Moment to Treasure

by SilenceoftheSolitude



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode Related, Episode: s07e01 Fallen & Episode: s07e02 Homecoming, Gen, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-28
Updated: 2014-04-28
Packaged: 2018-01-21 03:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1536443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilenceoftheSolitude/pseuds/SilenceoftheSolitude
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s a moment of silence. A single instant of peace. It won’t last. But it’s there now, and that’s all that matters. She breathes in the silence and the still air. She exhales slowly and stamps this moment to memory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Moment to Treasure

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by Daniel's question to Sam in the episode 'Fallen' (s07e01) when he still has no memory of who he is and is set somewhere after 'Homecoming'.
> 
> I have no beta so all mistakes are my own. Any comment (positive or negative - especially if constructive criticism) is very much appreciated as it helps me improve.
> 
> Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. No copyright infringement intended.

 

**A Moment to Treasure**

It’s a moment of silence. A single instant of peace. It won’t last. But it’s there now, and that’s all that matters. She breathes in the silence and the still air. She exhales slowly and stamps this moment to memory.

There has been so much noise, so much pain, so much grief… she feels like she needs a breather. And that scares her, because she has never felt the need to escape from her life before now. Or maybe she has, but she has never admitted it, and that made it all a little better; it meant she still was strong enough. Now? Now she’s not sure of anything else. She just admitted that she needs to breathe, and as perfectly natural as that is, she can’t allow herself to do something like that.

There’s a moment of panic, a single instant in which she forgets to breathe. It ends as quickly as it begun. She closes her eyelids and takes a deep breath. She thinks she’s going to be alright.  
  
A sound approaches. A sound she recognizes all too well. He walks slowly, warily, until he stops by her side, his arm brushing hers. She leans in just a little closer so that she can rest her head on the side of his shoulder. The air is chilly, but she doesn’t mind, not with him by her side. She can feel his gaze on her; his eyes are fixed on the top of her head.

The silence means just a little more now. Because there’s no suffocating sense of failure; it’s just plain silence. She feels his eyes on her, but it’s not an inquiring look. She knows that without even looking, because between them there is no need to look. Everything is plain obvious; every movement, every word, every gesture.

He feels her shiver and envelops her with his arm, placing her head on his chest, where she can feel his heartbeat strong against the silence surrounding them. Somehow, she thinks that the rhythmic sound is the most pleasant thing she has heard yet. That constant thump means that he’s alive. Right beside her and alive. And it’s as big a relief as any because, really, he has been such a huge part of her life – of her – for so long, that having him back is the best thing that has happened to her in some time.

She really questions what it is that she feels for him in that single moment. She knows she loves him, and she knows he loves her back. His emotions mirror her own, she can see it in his eyes. What she is unsure of is whether they are in love with each other. There’s a huge difference.

She has always known there was something beyond friendship between her and Jack, they have both admitted to it eventually, but the fact is she has never had to question her relationship with Daniel. Not before he came back from the dead.

She is afraid she will inevitably have to break his or Jack's heart if she discovers the truth of her feelings for Daniel. And she can’t bring herself to pick which heart to break, because she loves them both too much.

“When I asked you about us… I think I know now why I did.” She spins her head around to face him.

For a moment, there, she wonders if he has some kind of psychic powers, before she realizes it’s Daniel. He knows her just that well, “why did you?” Her voice is tentative, and she thinks he must have caught that too, because his hold on her tightens a little and it looks more as an embrace than it did before.

But the contact isn’t enough. She moves even closer; she moves his arms so that they are wrapped around her waist and he instinctively applies just the right amount of pressure to the hold.

He has been gone for a whole year and he has only just come back, but all she can think about is that he hasn't changed in the slightest. She likes to think that maybe that's the only thing that matters, that she can forget he wanted to die in order to ascend more than he wanted to survive and live with his friends in order to fight a battle he had started, a fight they had needed him there to fight. Sometimes she likes to think that his choice doesn't affect their relationship. That she understands and chooses not to blame him.

Sometimes she even thinks she can forget how much time she has spent angry at his memory.

“Because I love you, Sam. And I could see it in your eyes; you love me just as much.” She shudders, but his hold steadies her, “you’ve always been there for me, Sam. You are the one that understands me better, and I love you for that.” The tear she sheds isn’t a sign of pain. It’s relief that she feels, relief coming from his words and his being there, just holding her in the right way and talking with the right tone.

Sometimes she forgets how much she has missed him.

“I love you too,” and she thinks that _that_ is the painful part.

“But we don’t really love each other, do we? Not like I loved Sha’re and you love… him.” She slowly turns her head, to see his eyes; Jack is something they never discuss.

Maybe in a way he really is different from before. Maybe this new Daniel won't pretend to be blind anymore. But maybe he is just getting reacquainted with who he is.

Even in the dim light provided by the cloudy night sky she can see his blue eyes shine in that comfortable way that makes everything just a little better; that makes even the hardest situation bearable. That’s Daniel. The one man in her life that she will always love and never fear will leave her disappointed. Because she knows him just that well. She knows what he’s capable of, every fault and merit he has; and she is perfectly fine with who he is.

She figures right now she can even forgive him for leaving her.

She realizes that Daniel doesn’t say _his_ name, and she doesn’t even have to thank him for that. Maybe he'll still feign to be blind and this is one of those moments in which they are both weak and easily slip.

“But you’re just that much important to me.”

“I know, and you don’t have to worry about that. Ever. If one day you wake up and he’s a little more important, it’s all right, I’ll understand. And I’ll be there to hold you even then, ‘cause you’ll still need me and I’ll need you just as much.” She turns around in his arms and wraps her arms around his neck.

He holds her tightly, and she thinks that maybe, she ought to treasure this moment more than the one in which she was alone, because hearing his voice and holding him is that much more important than finally finding a minute of quiet.


End file.
